A Lifetime of Happiness
by iluxe-love
Summary: IchiRuki, AU. Ichigo takes Rukia somewhere special for her birthday.


**Author's Note: **For the Rukia's Birthday Contest over at the IchiRuki FC Bleach Asylum. Prompt: Ichigo & Rukia visit your country! Have Ichigo take Rukia somewhere special in the country for her birthday. So, here's a dose of pure fluff. Enjoy!

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**A LIFETIME OF HAPPINESS**

If Ichigo had taken the time to stop and think about it, the image they struck to hustling passersby would have been slightly comical: A petite girl with ink black hair, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder, dragging the tall, orange-headed teenager boy laden down with various shopping bags down the icy sidewalks of New York City. Desperately trying to control their speed, Ichigo yelled out hoarsely _Rukia, you midget, slow down!_, his breath forming opaque puffs of condensed air.

Rukia merely gave him a cheeky grin (he's had one too many of those to fill a lifetime). She stopped and whined, "Ichigo, I wanna know! Where are you taking me now?"

_More like she's taking _me, Ichigo grumbled silently, catching his breath as he leaned against the side of a building, gesturing to Rukia to come to the side of the street and not block the throngs of shoppers' way. Eagerly, Rukia drew closer and for a second Ichigo marveled at how red her cheeks had become from the biting cold air.

She gave a little impatient stomp of her foot. "Well?"

"Wait a sec, will you?" Ichigo adjusted the shopping bags on his arms – the results of an afternoon being led along by Rukia to every store she had found "interesting" (that is to say, _all_ of them). It was her birthday after all. And since it was his (stupid, stupid, stupid) father's idea for them to take a trip to New York City for the winter break, Ichigo had decided to treat Rukia a little and let her buy all the dresses she would ever want. She seemed quite partial to those simple cotton dresses, it seemed, and Ichigo couldn't help but think that he, too, liked seeing her in them.

Surreptitiously drawing out a map of the huge metropolis, Ichigo consulted it for a few seconds while Rukia tried vainly to peak over his shoulder to try to guess their next destination. "Alright," Ichigo sighed, "Let's go. It should be around the corner here." Before Rukia could expend her endless energy running around the city again, he added, "_I_ lead this time. You stay next to me."

Pouting slightly, Rukia fell into step beside him, excitement clearly showing in her wide violet eyes. They walked in comfortable silence for several blocks, Rukia's attention captured by everything they walked past – the floor-to-ceiling glass shop windows with winter clothing on display, the interiors of stores decorated in the last residues of the holiday spirits, yesterday's snowfall dusting tree branches, bright yellow taxis honking and speeding down the street. Suddenly, Rukia weaved her arm through the hook of his arm and laid her head on his shoulder and Ichigo, for some unknown reason, experienced that warming sensation that started from the pit of his stomach and spread all over his body.

"It should be... right here," he muttered. As they turned the corner, they were met with a small square seemingly almost out of place with the high rising skyscrapers surrounding the area on all sides. The square was walled in by a low partition covered in a reddish brown stone and before the wall were tall flag posts on which multicolor flags of so many countries fluttered in the caustic wind. Lining the square were small trees, all lighted, with throngs of shoppers and tourists milling around the center.

Ichigo looked down, trying to read Rukia's face. To his secret delight, Rukia's mouth had formed a small, surprised circle, and her eyes widened even more, glittering in excitement, as she took in the scene before her. "Well?" He asked. "Do you know what this is?"

Rukia nodded vigorously. "The Rockefeller Center!" she whispered excitedly, recognizing the popular tourist spot from the glimpses she had seen on the television. Her grin widened but almost immediately her face fell. "But the Christmas tree is gone already."

Ichigo knew that the famous Rockefeller Christmas tree would have been taken down already before they even got off the plane from Japan but he hadn't brought Rukia to the Rockefeller Center to look at some old tree. Hating to see her disappointed face, Ichigo tugged her gently along by the hand. "Come on, wait until you see _this_."

Hand in hand, they drew closer to the wall that lined the square. They heard several shrieks followed by bouts of laughter, drawing a curious glance from Rukia. When they reached the wall, Rukia looked down and gasped.

Below street level was a sizeable skating rink, the brilliant white of the opaque ice blinding the eyes of the spectators peering down. Dozens of people were skating in roughly a large oval around and around the ice skating rink, speeding by at exhilarating velocities or inching along the walls of the rink and shuffling their feet. All the skaters, though probably freezing from the subzero temperatures of the night, sported tireless smiles.

But none of those smiles could match the one on Rukia's face now, Ichigo mused as he looked at Rukia's face. She seemed – in a word – _enamored. _

Leaning down so that his mouth was close to her ear, he whispered, "What do you say to doing a little ice skating tonight for your birthday?"

Positively beaming, Rukia didn't even need to say a word for Ichigo to receive her answer.

Ten minutes later, outfitted in rented pairs of skates, Ichigo and Rukia entered the Rockefeller ice skating rink. Ichigo stepped onto the ice first, offering Rukia his hand for balance as she gingerly placed her feet onto the slippery white surface. Immediately, she lost her balance, letting out a tiny surprised shriek, lunging forward suddenly and keeping a vice-like grip on Ichigo's forearms for support.

Ichigo chuckled at the comical expression on Rukia's face: a combination of exhilaration and wonder and also a little bit of fear. "What?" he said. "You've never been ice-skating before?"

She chewed her bottom lip (_quite adorably_, Ichigo thought, but then stopped that line of thought, not liking where it was going) as he led her out slowly into the center of the rink, navigating the both of them carefully through the web of skaters whooshing by. Despite her uncertainty and low confidence on the ice rink, she still maintained enough of her sharp tongue. "Don't laugh at me, Ichigo, unless you want me to kick you out of our hotel room and let you stay outside in the cold for the night," she said. Realizing abruptly that he was steering them away from the safety of the wall of the rink, she panicked slightly. "Wait, Ichigo! Where are you taking me?!"

He made a small hushing noise, keeping a tight grip on her arm. "Relax, Rukia. Trust me."

She quieted down; it unnerved Ichigo slightly to see Rukia unlike her usual fiery self. "Hey, what's the matter? C'mon, it'll be fun."

Her corners of her lips started to frown as she shifted her skates uncomfortably across the ice. "I really haven't been ice-skating before."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Ah," he said. "It's okay, not everybody has before."

"In Rukongai, Renji and I didn't have skates to go ice-skating on the frozen ponds. I've always really wanted to try it out... But when I became a shinigami of the Gotei 13, there was no time anymore to have fun." She smiled half-heartedly. "Business and all."

Ichigo stood still, taking her words in. "Well, you're here now." A pause. "You don't have to be afraid. It's just ice," he added.

She punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I'm not afraid," she said (and Ichigo remembered – how silly of him to think that this girl who was never afraid of anything was scared now). "I'm just... I'm glad you brought me to go ice skating." She shrugged. "That's all."

"Bah," Ichigo grumbled. "All that fuss for nothing. I take you out ice skating and you act as if it's the best present ever!"

"Hey, I was trying to say something heartfelt–"

"—and I didn't say it went unnoticed, did I?" Ichigo cut her off. "Now, come on, or do you want to stand here all night?"

Rukia's mouth, which had been open and ready to express a retort, stretched into another genuine smile and nodded vigorously. Patiently, Ichigo showed her how to shift her weight from one foot to the other, how to push off the ice with the inner blades of her skates, and how to come to a full stop. She kept a hand on his arm or gripped his gloved hand during the entire time, not daring to let go and free herself from Ichigo's solid presence. As always with the two of them, there was some light scolding punctuated by insults such as _moron_ and _idiot_ but the smiles never left their faces.

Ichigo stood about twelve feet away from Rukia, coaxing her to skate over to him in a straight line. He almost laughed aloud from the look of determination on her face – so intent was she on skating over to him, she looked a bit absurd.

"Woah!" She squeaked as she got used to skating without the support of Ichigo's reassuring arm. Getting into a steady rhythm, Rukia's entire face lit up with tangible excitement, yelling, "Hey, Ichigo, look at me! I'm doing it! I'm really—"

–She had forgotten how to stop. Rukia stumbled into his waiting arms and her momentum pushed him down, sending them both tumbling onto the freezing ice, Rukia landing on top of him. It was a tangle of limbs; Ichigo looked up and saw nothing but the ink blackness of the night sky – he had landed on his back – while Rukia clutched the front of his jacket as she tried to haul herself up but repeatedly slipped on the ice and fell down on him again.

"Argh – I'm so sorry, Ichigo, I forgot how to stop – Are you hurt? You didn't hurt your head, right? – Ugh, I can't get up–"

Abruptly, as he was staring up at the night sky, Ichigo was struck with the absurdity of his situation. He had brought Rukia to one of the largest city in the world where they could have done a million different things – yet here he was now, lying on the ice, having been bowled over by this woman who was barely five feet tall, a woman who, despite her dexterity with the sword when fighting, was a klutz when it came to ice skating. Ichigo started chuckling which quickly turned into full laughter, the type of laughter that Rukia had never heard coming from the usually grumpy and moody Ichigo. At first she thought something was wrong – had he hit his head on the ice too hard? – but then she realized that he was laughing so hard that _tears_ were rolling down his cheeks. Concern quickly turned into indignation.

"Are you _laughing_ at me, Ichigo? You better not be – hey! Are you listening to me?!" She yelled at him, swatting his chest for emphasis.

"No, no," Ichigo wheezed, easing himself out from underneath her petite form and sitting up. "I'm not laughing at you." Steadily, he stood up and then pulled Rukia up to a standing position as well.

Hands on hips, Rukia peered accusingly into his mirth-filled eyes. "Yes, you are," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"...Okay, maybe I am," he admitted. "I wasn't laughing _at_ you, really—"

"It's fine," she said suddenly. "Only because I never hear you laughing like that. You're never that..." She struggled to find the appropriate word. "Happy."

He raised his eyebrow, disagreeing. "Just because I don't smile all the time doesn't mean I'm not happy. I'm happy. I'm happy when..." His words drifted, unsure of what to say. _I'm happy when I'm around you?_ _I'm happy when you're next to me? _But he was sure of this:_ I'm happy right _now_._

She took his silence as uncertainty – but of a different kind. "See? You're not happy all the time." Her eyes suddenly lit up, brighter than all the lighted trees around the Rockefeller Center. "Oh, I almost forgot! Father said we must take pictures to show him when we get back home!"

Groaning, Ichigo pleaded, "Don't call that idiot of a dad your 'father', please. He's my dad, not yours."

But she ignored him. Waving enthusiastically to a passerby – a middle-aged female American – she proceeded to ask in broken English to have their picture taken, handing the woman Ichigo's camera that she had somehow gotten hold of. Thanking the woman when she agreed, Rukia returned to Ichigo. "Come on! Smile for the camera!"

Drawn in by her earnestness, Ichigo found himself wrapping his arms around her shoulders as Rukia slipped her arms – as if naturally, as if they had done this countless times before – around his waist, holding him closer to her body, sharing her warmth. He found himself looking at her rather than at the camera, but it was too late; the camera flashed and Rukia sprung forward to reclaim the camera. While Rukia peered down at the camera screen to look at the photo, the woman started skating away, giving a knowing smile to Ichigo and said something in English. From the way she was looking at Ichigo, he didn't have to understand English to know what she was saying or implying with that smile. _What a cute couple. _Alarmed, he decided he _had_ to clarify. "Wait, Rukia and I aren't –" He stepped forward, but she melted away into the crowd of skaters.

Oblivious to what had happened, Rukia gestured animatedly towards Ichigo and beckoned him to come closer to look at the photo. "The photo is great!" she exclaimed. "Isn't it, Ichigo?"

As Rukia searched Ichigo's face for an answer, Ichigo didn't immediately answer but was instead struck by the glimmer in her large violet eyes, her rosy cheeks stung by the cold, the reddening tip of her nose matching the bright red color of her wool coat, the gentle yet strong way she grabbed his hand, exuding the same confidence he felt unquestionably flow into him on the battlefield when they fought side by side, zanpakutou drawn... That world of shinigami and Hollows and death and reincarnation seemed thousands of miles away at that moment because all that mattered right now was the way he seemed to be enraptured by the unending depths of her violet eyes... Soon, they will have to return to that world of heavy responsibility and endless deaths. Soon, Rukia will have to be called away to duty in Seireitei again, leaving him in the real world for months at a time. But for now... Unconsciously, his hand enclosed around hers tightened almost imperceptibly, almost possessively, but she noticed.

"...Ichigo?"

"Listen," he said, "it's your birthday today. I was wondering, maybe we'll go to a nice restaurant somewhere around the city – I heard of a great place with some excellent food around here. You know... Special candlelit dinner and everything. For your birthday. You like Italian, right?"

Surprised, she laughed. "It's only my birthday. It's no big deal. I've had a hundred birthdays before this one and hopefully many more to come. We don't need to go any fancy restaurant to celebrate my birthday! This," she gestured around her, at the ice skaters, at the festive shops lining the square, at the lighted trees, "is enough."

His face fell a fraction. _I've had a hundred birthdays before this one_ – he had forgotten how old she really was, how much she had lived through before she met him. "But it's your first birthday, you know, with–" he hesitated. "With me," he finally finished, a little lamely, he thought.

The look on her face softened a little. "Is that so?" she mused. "It's only been half a year since I met you? Seems like a lifetime already to me." She tugged him by the hand, towards the exit. "Tell you what. Why don't you take me to some cozy little café somewhere for dinner. I don't like expensive places anyway. Got enough of the fancy food at home with Nii-sama."

"A café?" Ichigo repeated. It didn't sound like a special dinner to him, even though he wasn't one to be fussy.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "It'll be really nice. You know, to celebrate our _half year_ anniversary." She chuckled lightly. "It'll be special enough since it'll only be the two of us."

_Only the two of us_. For some reason, her words made his heart feel so much fuller. "Alright, if that's what you want," he said, shrugging.

She pulled him down by the arm and stood on the tip toes of her skates, giving him a small peck on his bare, flushed cheek. "You've already given me enough, taking me to New York City, teaching me to ice skate. But I've found out of everything about this trip, what I value the most is just having you all to myself." Rukia smiled.

Shocked, Ichigo merely settled himself with a lopsided grin. They started skating away, her hand enveloped in his. _Me too_. "Happy birthday, Rukia," he whispered.

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_fin_

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